It is a substantial report into the barriers that are presented at an early age for young people potentially engaging in a career in Engineering. My view and that of the report, is in part of the issue seems to be a the image of engineering and the attractiveness as a career of choice for young people. I note that 35 Professional Engineering Institutions contributed to the report, so this a significant issue and one that cannot be ignored by the wider community. We engineer everything we see around us and we, as a society will struggle to meet goals such as climate change without more radical changes and a contribution from a wider demographic.
https://www.engineeringuk.com/our-programmes/neon/
If you get a chance share the above link with your local school as it provides some good resource for teachers to engage in engineering topics in a very friendly way.
Figure 3.7, Page 72, introduces the topic of 'T' Levels in FE sector.
The core knowledge and understanding; following input from the report stakes holders, such as employers:
Working within the engineering and manufacturing sectors; Engineering and manufacturing past, present and future; Engineering representations; Essential mathematics for engineering and manufacturing; Essential science for engineering and manufacturing; Materials and their properties; Mechanical principles; Electrical and electronic principles; Mechatronics; Engineering and manufacturing control systems; Recognised standards in engineering and manufacturing; Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs); Health and safety principles and coverage; Business, commercial and financial awareness; Professional responsibilities, attitudes and behaviours; Stock and asset management; Quality assurance, control and improvement; Continuous improvement and Project and programme management.
Students then go on to select an occupational specialism in the engineering and manufacturing T level pathways. The idea is that T levels will offer some parity to students going down the traditional A level route and subsequently gain UCAS points to progress on to a university pathway. The routes are described in the report on page 67 as Academic pathways and Technical Pathways. My personal pathway in to engineering was via the Technical pathway. As this is a lengthy report I could pick up many points raised by it but I guess my main question is this, which offers the best way into engineering. Technical or Academic? And who do we need most in addressing the shortage of skilled people the UK engineering sector? Leave your comments below.